What I Did:

Ours was a simple ceremony, with a slight Halloweenish twist. The beginning was a quote from "The Princess Bride," and I was most relieved when the guests chuckled instead of looking puzzled. The primary nod to Halloween was the fact that all the poetry involved coffins (it's harder to find romantic quotes about coffins than you might expect). The full ceremony follows:

(Opening)

[Officiant]

Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethaw today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam...

Good evening! We are gathered here today, not to witness the beginning of something new, but rather to celebrate what already exists! This service is not magic; It will not create a relationship that does not already exist. Its purpose is to tie a knot in the rope of days and say, "We will not slip backwards from here, but will go forward together." It is a time to celebrate what is already certain, Jenna and Mark's love for one another and their desire for that love to last forever.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles. Understanding this, Mark and Jenna have come here today to be joined in marriage.

(Remarks and Reading)

[Officiant]
Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to what I am about to say.

In humanity's long history we have never discovered a better way of life than sharing it with someone we love.

At the end of this ceremony, legally you will be husband and wife, but you still must decide each day that you want to be married. Make such a decision, and keep on making it every day, for the most important thing in life is to love and be loved.

There's a poem called "Married Love," which was written by a medieval Chinese poet nearly a thousand years ago. In the English translation, it reads:

You and I
Have so much love,
That it burns like a fire,
In which we bake a lump of clay
Molded into a figure of you
And a figure of me.
Then we take both of them.
And break them into pieces,
And mix the pieces with water,
And mold again a figure of you
And a figure of me.
I am in your clay.
You are in my clay.
In life we share a single quilt,
In death we will share one coffin.

Mark and Jenna, this celebration is the outward token of your sacred and inward union of hearts. It is a union created by your loving purpose and kept by your abiding will. It is in this spirit and for this purpose that you have come here to be joined together.

(Vows)

[Officiant]
Mark, will you take this woman as your wife, to live together in marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor her, cherish and protect her, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live?

[Mark]
I will!

[Officiant]
Jenna, will you take this man as your husband, to live together in marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor him, cherish and protect him, in sorrow and in joy, so long as you both shall live?

[Jenna]
I will!

(Rings)

[Officiant]
Traditionally, the passage to the status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings. These rings are a symbol of the unbroken circle of love, because true love has no beginning and no end, and each of you is both the giver and the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.

[Jenna]
This is my beloved, and this is my friend.

[Mark]
This is my beloved, and this is my friend.

(Quotation)

[Officiant]
We will close with an Irish Blessing:

A toast to your coffin.
May it be made of 100 year old oak.
And may you plant the tree together, tomorrow.

(Pronouncement)

[Officiant]
Mark and Jenna, you have shown your affection and devotion by giving these vows and by giving of rings, and, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce that you are Husband and Wife.

Congratulations, you may kiss!

Other Suggestions:

• Handfasting ceremonies are appropriate for both Halloween- and Medieval-themed ceremonies. See the Links page for sites which feature them.

• Karen Burns was kind enough to send me a copy of her Halloween ceremony.

• Traditional religious ceremonies might be more fitting than you'd expect. Most religious texts have "juicy parts" that tend to get glossed over during sermons (the Bible, for instance, talks a lot about witchcraft). Talk to your officiant about finding appropriate passages in traditional liturgy.

• If you want to write your own vows, check out some of the many Websites and books devoted to the subject. Personalize your vows to your chosen theme by using poetry, quotes from books, or other meaningful readings. Look for references to harvest motifs, death/rebirth, and other seasonal concepts.

• Halite Sprite wrote a short poem that was actually designed for a ghost bride and groom in her Halloween haunt. However, it's very pretty, and quite appropriate:
  "True love is forever,
  for true love never dies
  we pledge to be together
  until the end of time
  We've bound together our souls,
  we are conjoined in our hearts,
  not even in death...
  shall we find ourselves apart"